Deciphering the Vague
by GottaluvInu
Summary: A new ghost with many secrets comes to Amity Park. What will Danny do when the ghost tries to warn him of imminent calamity, but can't say who or what will bring about the disaster? Can this new ghost be trusted?


Okey Dokey, people. I know I'm supposed to work on 'The Truth', but I'm totally and completely STUCK on that one right now, kapiesh? I think InuluvGotta may have something to do with it… the little weasel. **(Hehehehehe!)** Soooo… I'm venting my frustration into this story! Yay! Er, well, kind of. Enjoy.

Disclaimer-Me no own diddley, meaning I don't own Danny. (Unfortunately…) Oh, and for good measure, I don't own any of the books Lancer talks about, either.

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It started as your average day in Amity Park.

The children all left for school in the early morning; the majority of the parents were on their way to work, (The only exceptions being Sam's filthy rich parents who didn't work, and Jack and Maddie, who worked in the lab.) and of course, Amity Park's notorious ghost, Danny Phantom, was chasing an escaped ghost.

_This is SUCH a waste of my time! _Danny screamed mentally._ Can't you all just stay in the ghost zone?_

The ghost in question, a small girl who was _extremely_ elusive, gathered speed as he thought. He didn't know why she was here, or even how she got here, (The Fenton portal hadn't been opened) but he wanted her **out**.

He had been chasing her around town since six, and his patience was beyond wire-thin. Every move he made was mimicked so that she was always one step ahead. It was like she knew what he was thinking.

It was then he heard something odd.

It sounded like…_sobbing_.

He halted in mid-air. As he did so, the ghost in front of him stopped too. She wheeled to face him, swaying slightly as though she was lost. Then she spoke in a soft voice, so soft that Danny had to strain to hear what she said. "Danny…"

Danny jumped back. "You know my name?"

"I can...help you…"

"What?" Danny was bewildered, and even more so when he realized the tears streaming down the girl's face. "Help with-what? I don't need help; I-don't even know…what are you talking about?"

She stared at him keenly, her pale purple eyes wide and shimmering with tears. "Soon, soon. You will see…it is not too late..."

"All right, kid. I don't have a clue what you're saying," Danny said. "Why did you lead me around town all morning if all you wanted was to help me? And who are you, anyway?"

She continued to stare. Then without warning, she faded from view, whispering, _"He does not know… He does not know…"_

Danny sat suspended in the air, completely dumbfounded. "That was…freaky," he finally said. He woke from his stupor only when he heard the bell ring far below his feet.

"Darn it!" He absconded as quickly as his secret identity would allow. Once inside the school he landed near Mr. Lancer's classroom. Searching the vicinity, he found it clear of witnesses. He reverted back to his human form and ran into the classroom.

Lancer was giving his morning lecture on the book of the week, 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' "…And here, Scout says that Boo Radley was-Ah, Mr. Fenton. Glad you've decided to join us today."

"Yeah. So, detention, right?" Danny said dejectedly.

"Yes, Mr. Fenton, detention. My office after school."

Danny exhaled noisily and strode to his desk, ignoring the inquiring looks that Sam and Tucker shot at him. When he sat, he realized how very worn-outhe was, (He _had _been flying around for two hours straight, not to mention his staying up until three finishing homework.) and he drifted off almost directly.

And the dreams began.

He was haunted by small, violet-eyed girls whispering, "_Soon…it is not too late… _None of it made any sense…_soon…_what was she talking about? How could she know something was going to happen? …_Not too late… _How did she know me? …_You will see… _Who was that girl, anyway?

_He does not know, he does not know._

Danny's head jerked up from its position on his textbook. He looked around frantically for the ghost. An annoyed cough from the front of the room reminded him where he was. _"Right…"_ he whispered.

"So you're finally back among the living then, Mr. Fenton?" Lancer said with a sigh.

Despite his dazed condition, Danny still had to hold back a snicker. "Yes, sir."

"Hmmm. Well I hope you learn by osmosis, Daniel, because we're having a test next Tuesday on this material."

"What?" Danny yelped. "But I didn't hear anything about a test!"

Lancer smirked. "Well, maybe if you had been sleeping on top of the paper I passed around last week you would have known." Danny scowled as the students around him laughed.

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"Lancer _has_ to be the worst teacher I have ever had."

Sam, Danny, and Tucker were all sitting around their favorite lunch table discussing Danny's tardy. They all knew they couldn't do anything about the times that ghosts picked to intrude on the living, but it's always fun to chatter on about what makes life so inconvenient!

Sam and Tucker nodded energetically. "Which ghost was it this time?" Sam asked. "And don't try to succumb me with 'the box ghost' again. I know you were chasing it for a good two hours."

Danny flushed. He had once come to Sam's after a particularly nasty fight with Skulker. He had had a gash on his lower calf that he hadn't noticed, so when Sam asked him which ghost he had been fighting he tried to keep her from worrying by saying; "The box ghost." It would of worked-if Danny hadn't bled onto the couch on which he was sitting. Sam chastised him for the next half hour, telling him that 'if he ever pulled any crap like that again…'

"I have no idea who it was, actually. A new ghost," He added when Tucker cocked an eyebrow. "It was this little girl, and to be honest, she creeped me out. She kept whispering stuff like '_I can help you' _and _'it isn't too late'_." Danny shivered.

Tucker looked confused, but Sam looked deeply concerned. "Why was she running from you if she wanted to help you?"

"Don't know," said Danny. "I was wondering that myself. She knew my name, though."

Both Sam and Tucker looked up at him in alarm. Tucker choked out "She knew your name? But…why? That doesn't make any sense at all!"

"Yeah, tell me about it."

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When school ended that day and Danny had already begun to patrol the streets for any ghosts, he heard a small flapping noise from behind him, like a swish of a cloak. He spun around, only to see the empty roads below. Shrugging it off, he continued his watch.

Minutes later, he heard it again. This time, though, it came from his left. He revolved slowly this time; maybe it was just a bird. But no. As he turned, something caught his attention in his peripheral vision. He froze. _It was the girl._ He quickly turned again, facing her. She gave a feeble smile, which was quickly replaced with a somber expression.

"Why are you following me?" Danny asked.

"I have come to warn you." She said it as if it explained everything.

"About what?"

The girl's eyes bulged, and she gazed at him desperately, as though trying to tell him something.

Danny wasn't sure of what to do. On the one hand, this girl wanted to help. But she didn't seem able to tell him why. On the other hand, this was the girl he had been chasing all day, and no matter what he asked her, all she seemed to do was stare at him.

The girl's gaze never strayed from his eyes. "…He…he" Her voice suddenly became strained.

She began again. "…It is…he who…" tears started to roll down her face and she clutched her head. "No! I am…cannot…" She cried out in frustration. "I have…I must tell…" she was panting now.

Danny rushed to her side. Ghost or not, something was wrong with her, and he needed her to calm down. She was just beginning to lose altitude when Danny caught her around the waist. "No, it's okay, you can tell me later. Just calm down now, okay?"

The little girl looked up at him as if she had never seen him before. "You?"

By now, Danny was even more bewildered. "Yeah, it's me…are you okay?"

"I am she called…Onaedo Umika.

_That's an odd name…_Aloud he said,"Onaedo. Why are you here, Onaedo?"

"I have come to warn you."

Right. He already knew that. He wondered if she could only be vague about things, she never seemed able to get into detail. "Right, right." He said before she could work herself into a fit again. "So, how did you get here?"

"There are…ways…"

Yep. There was definitely a pattern with the vagueness.

He sighed. "You said you wanted to help me. What do you want to help me with?"

Her pale gaze caught him again. Danny realized she was trying to tell him something again. _Well, _he thought. _That sucks, because I don't read minds. _He grunted in irritation. "Can you tell me anything?"

"He does not know…he does not know…"

"_Who_doesn't know!!? Aaaargh!!!" Danny stopped himself and looked down at Onaedo apologetically. It wasn't her fault she couldn't tell him; at least, he didn't think so. Any number of things could be the reason for her inability to speak freely.

"Um, do you want to come with me to my friend Sam's house?" _Maybe she'll know what to do…_

"Oh! No, I mustn't. I…my…never."

_Oh that helps. _"Why, Onaedo? Is there something wrong?"

Onaedo gave Danny a piercing stare; it was as if she was looking into his very soul. Her face darkened. In her small voice, she managed to murmur, "He…grows…nearer. I should not have…c-come. Farewell…Danny."

And she was gone.

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**I actually like this one! I usually detest my own work, but this one seems promising to me, me! The pessimist! That's like the opposite of optimist. Yaaay, beeg words!**

**Oh, and FYI, you pronounce Onaedo's name like (Oh-Nay-doh Yoo-mee-ka)**


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